Off to Romania

We will be leaving in the morning to catch a Wizz Air flight to Bucharest where we hope that Radu will be waiting for us with a hire car (I have always wanted to be met at an airport with some one with a placard saying 'LOMAS'). I will update the Romania section of the blog if we stay in a hotel with affordable broadband.
I have found an internet connection courtesy Best Western but it is very very slow. First Wizz Air was very good leaving 1 min early and arriving 2 mins early. Second I was wrong about the placard - it said 'Richard Lomas'. So far so good - seen lots of trams from many German towns.
I have news on the European City of Culture this year which has one more tram in service than Liverpool and also about a shuttle service in Oradea. In haste. Richard.
These pictures were taken last Tuesday.
1. LCC 159.
2. Can you recognise the hard working trolley boy?
3. Two shades of red - LT 1622 and Leeds 180.

Liverpool 869

1. Liverpool 869 at Glory Mine on a test run.
2. Liverpool 869 and LCC 106 at Town End.
3. LCC 106 and Leeds 180 provided the tram service today.

PCCs?

1 & 2. Halle 902 and Leeds 602 have been moved to Depot V where they are standing side by side. I think they represent interesting derivations from the American PCC design. 602 remained a 'one off' prototype whereas Tatra T3s and T4s were manufactured in their thousands and many are still in service today.
3. Glasgow 22 and J'burg 60 were the two service trams today.

People

I was sorry to read in Contact of Roger Webster's resignation. I hope he will re-consider but I also advise him to take some time away to rest and reflect (although perhaps less than the 10 years it took me).

I was delighted to see Winstan Bond at Crich today. He is looking well and looking forward to increasing his participation at Crich and to visiting other tramways.
I am pleased that David Smith has agreed to work with me on The Journal and looking forward to working with him for the rest of 2007. Kath and I plan to retire from part time work in November and to visit the Antipodes early in 2008 leaving David to produce the April Journal.

New software

In order to use the new 'album' facility for wedding photographs, I have upgraded to the latest version of Google's software and this is the first time I have used it to update this blog.
Gateshead 5 and Glasgow 22 were in service this afternoon.
1. Glasgow 22 at Town End.
2. MET 331 and Chesterfield 7 were in the workshop for commissioning and servicing.
3. Liverpool 869 is now back on its bogies and is ready for commissioning.
4. The results of all the work on tree pruning can be seen with Gateshead 5 in the background.

An EXTREMELY successful weekend

Colin Heaton has sent me these three pictures of the 1940s event over Easter weekend. He comments: 'I see on your blog you query whether all the re-enactors etc affect the profitability. The answer is yes but not in a negative sense, I think this year, for the first time, we were able to almost swamp the ‘modern’ visitors in some areas. We were up on last year and had the best Easter since 1993. Catering and The Red Lion Bar had record takings over the weekend.'
1. Crowds at Town End.
2. Dancing in the Red Lion.
3. Colin tells me he thinks there are five TMS members on this picture - unfortunately I don't know them so please e-mail your names and I will update the caption.
Finally how many post 1940's artifacts can you see on the third picture? I think there three.

1940s Sunday with trams

Easter Sunday was a beautiful sunny day but with a cold wind in the evening. Six trams (J'burg 60, Leeds 180, Leeds 345, Paisley 68, Blackpool 167, Glasgow 812) were in service with Berlin 3006 making a few trips as well. I have never seen so many people in costume at such an event - my guess is 50% and I wonder what effect this has on the Museum's revenue.
Kath & I had a very pleasant afternoon wandering round the event followed by an excellent fish and chip supper and some locally brewed beer.
Security was not as strict as I would have expected at such a critical time in the war. Not having an Identity Card, I was able to use a Derbyshire OAP bus pass to bluff my way past a military check point!
1. Leeds 180 and J'burg 60 and Malcolm's car.
2. The police finally caught the notorious spiv Charlie Watson who had been selling watches and goodness know what else.
3. Paisley 68 - but look carefully and you will see Winstan Churchill on the right of the picture.
4. Finally J'burg 60 at about 8:30 pm.
For more pictures of the Prime Minister, Mr Churchill and the notorious Charlie Watson you will have to wait until the July issue of The Journal of The Tramway Museum Society. Finally we took 104 digital pictures - the equivalent of nearly 3 36 exposure films which would have been enough for a fortnight's holiday.

1940s Sunday with only one tram

 

School - Day Five

Another beautiful sunny day but still a cool breeze. J'burg 60, Leeds 180 and Glasgow 1297 were in service with Blackpool 40 and Gateshead 5 on training duties.
1. LUT 159 showing this week's blue undercoat.
2. The jacks are back and Liverpool 869 is being re-united with its bogies.
3. The school of 2007. Phil Chalkley, instructor Neill Lomax, Dan Heeley (already back in his workshop overalls) and Richard Lomas.
4. J'burg 60 in service.
The welcome return of tram jacks and a phone call from Chris Irwin prompted me to update the Historical Archive. There are also some old bank holiday shots.
Finally don't forget the 1940s event this weekend. The forecast is good and Kath & I will be going on Sunday to take some pictures for The Journal and also to sample Bob Pennyfather's real ale. See you!

School - Day Three

A much nicer day with the sun breaking through. J'burg 60, Leeds 180 and Glasgow 1297 were in service.
1. Gateshead 5 on an engineering test run.
2. Trainee driver Phil Chalkley and Instructor Neill Lomax on Sheffield 74.
3. Trainee driver Dan Heeley (nearest the camera) had his own personal destination.

School - Day Two

A cold and cloudy day with J'burg 60 and Glasgow 1297 in service. Sheffield 74 posed for the BBC and Leeds 345 was the driving school car.
1. Interior view of 345 about to depart from Glory Mine.
2. 345 and 1297 at Glory Mine.
3. Mike Smith repairing one of the street lights.

School - Day One

The trams in service today were Leeds 345, Glasgow 1297 and Berlin 3006 with Blackpool 40 being used by the driving school. I have driven a tram for the length of the line today for the first time since 1995 and confess to being rather nervous. However, I don't think I disgraced myself but there is still a long way to go.
The picture shows 1297 and 40 side by side at Town End during a short break in the training.
Finally the trams crews and the driving school observed a minute's silence at 2:00 pm in memory of Wesley Quilty.

David Wills

When I returned from London this afternoon there was a telephone message waiting for me to say that David Wills, who has helped me by proof reading and checking the English of parts of the last two Journals has had a major operation. I will be sending him and his wife Kate a 'thinking of you' card tomorrow on behalf of all Society members.